Nord Stream 1: first underwater images reveal devastating damage - The Guardian

The archetypal underwater images taken of the ruptured Nord Stream 1 pipeline uncover the devastating harm caused by what Danish constabulary person described arsenic “powerful explosions” nether the Baltic Sea.

Swedish paper Expressen connected Tuesday published photographs and movie footage taken by an underwater drone astatine the tract adjacent the land of Bornholm wherever the state pipeline betwixt Russia and Germany ruptured connected 26 September.

They look to amusement agelong tears successful the seabed adjacent the concrete-reinforced alloy tube that was not simply cracked but torn isolated successful an enactment of suspected sabotage. At slightest 50 metres of the state pipeline appeared to beryllium missing, Expressen said.

Three abstracted investigations are presently trying to measure the afloat grade of the harm to the 2 duplicate pipelines, Nord Stream 1 and 2, and cod grounds arsenic to who was down the sabotage.

A German authorities authoritative connected Monday confirmed determination would beryllium nary associated investigations squad moving connected clearing up the pipeline blast arsenic initially envisioned, but 3 abstracted investigations carried retired by Danish, Swedish and German authorities would coordinate closely.

According to German quality mag Der Spiegel, the connection of a associated probe was rejected by the Swedish side, with a authorities authoritative from the state telling Reuters that “there is immoderate accusation successful our probe that is confidential due to the fact that it is straight linked to nationalist security”.

A preliminary probe by Danish authorities established the leak had been caused by “powerful explosions”, Copenhagen constabulary said successful a connection connected Tuesday.

The further probe of the 26 September ruptures of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines successful Denmark’s exclusive economical zone would beryllium handled jointly by Copenhagen constabulary and Danish information services.

“It is inactive excessively aboriginal to accidental thing astir the model nether which the planetary practice with eg Sweden and Germany volition run, arsenic it depends connected respective actors,” Copenhagen constabulary said.

The underwater blasts, which were described arsenic adjacent to “several 100 kilos of TNT”, destroyed some pipes of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline and 1 of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Russian state-owned state elephantine Gazprom said successful a connection connected 3 October that it was inactive “technically possible” to transport state done 1 of the 4 pipes, Nord Stream 2B.